Good morning from Memphis, where the governor candidates disagreed last night on TBI's role in non-fatal officer-involved shootings. But first...

Did President Donald Trump just torpedo his nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court at last night's rally in Southaven?

That's the question raised by his sharper-than-ever criticism yesterday of Christine Blasey Ford's testimony in confirmation hearings last week that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed as he groped her, tried to strip her and muffled her screams with his hand.

"Guilty until proven innocent — that's very dangerous for our country," he said, speaking of the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct, especially by men in power.

He then turned his criticism at Ford, imitating her voice to a cheering, laughing crowd:

"How did you get home? I don’t remember. How’d you get there? I don’t remember. Where is the place? I don’t remember. How many years ago was it? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. What neighborhood was it in? I don’t know. Where’s the house? I don’t know. Upstairs, downstairs, where was it? I don’t know. But I had one beer. That’s the only thing I remember."

Trump continued: "And a man’s life is in tatters. A man’s life is shattered. His wife is shattered."

So, how could the criticism derail Kavanaugh's nomination? The New York Times:

Mr. Trump’s taunts could inflame a struggle over power and sex that has consumed the capital in recent weeks and risked alienating two of the undecided moderate Republicans whose votes will decide the fate of his nomination, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Trump Restrained lasted until today, save for a few tweets that McConnell and WH aides didn’t like. It ended about 30 minutes ago on a stage in MS, where he openly mocked Ford, to cheers.

Mocking her before her allegations are thoroughly vetted, and only a few days after calling her a "credible witness," could very well alienate moderate voices on the Senate, if by "alienate" we mean they're less likely to toe the party line.

But will Trump's comments spell doom for Kavanaugh's confirmation? Probably not. And they shouldn't. Trump, as much as people wish he was, isn't up for confirmation. Whether Kavanaugh rises to our highest court should come down to whether he's worthy, both in his profession and in his character — not the president's latest insults.

Ironically, one of Trump's supporters at the rally told me he supports Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who faces Republican Chris McDaniel and Democrats Mike Espy and Tobey Bernard Bartee in a special election for the seat next month, because of the #MeToo movement. She was the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress.

"She’s always had my back," Trump told the crowd, taking a break from other topics. "She’s always had your back. And a vote for Cindy is a vote for me."

Speaking of Hyde-Smith, the Associated Press had a good summary of why Trump was in Southaven:

Republican officials and the White House expect Hyde-Smith’s race to go to a runoff under the state’s jungle election rules that force a showdown between the top two finishers if no candidate wins at least 50 percent of the vote on Election Day. With Republicans defending majorities in the House and Senate next month, officials cast Trump’s visit as an attempt to get ahead of a potentially perilous situation.

Dean, Lee face off in Memphis

The two candidates for governor, Democrat Karl Dean and Republican Bill Lee, had very different takes on when the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation should investigate non-fatal police officer-involved shootings — a hot topic in Memphis, especially since the critical wounding of Martavius Banks. An excerpt from Jamie Munks' story:

Democrat Karl Dean said having a third party investigate police-involved shootings, so law enforcement agencies aren’t investigating their own members, could bolster public confidence in the process.

“If there is a police shooting and there is some sense there’s discomfort about the shooting or public concern, that having a third party come in and do the investigation seems to me to be an appropriate thing to do,” Dean said after the debate with Republican Bill Lee on Tuesday.

Lee called it critical for police agencies and the communities they serve to come together and communicate, to curb feelings of distrust.

Lee said after the debate that he doesn’t think the TBI should necessarily be drawn in to investigate officer-involved shootings automatically, but said the agency should investigate when there’s a death.

Lee is right about the feelings of distrust between police and communities. That's a very real issue in Memphis, and especially in predominantly black neighborhoods. And that's exactly why cities like Memphis need independent review of controversial shootings.

When police handle these investigations, and then the Shelby County district attorney almost always decides officers did nothing unlawful, that fuels the distrust.

Hopson endorses Lee

Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dorsey Hopson took the unusual step yesterday, before the debate, of endorsing Republican Bill Lee for governor. Lee's campaign tweeted this out, earning a "like" from Hopson's account:

Honored to have the support of Superintendent Dorsey Hopson, who has worked tirelessly to innovate solutions for at-risk schools. Let’s give every school leader in our state the tools they need to be creative and help their students succeed. #TNGovDebate

That's a politically intriguing decision. Hopson may be nearing the end of his time as superintendent, so perhaps he's angling for a post in Lee's cabinet. There were rumors he had an eye on Rep. Steve Cohen's seat, but that seems less likely now. The wildest, least-plausible theory: He's building GOP support for a 2019 Memphis mayoral run.